Electrical conduit.



c. WLABBOPT. V ELECTRICAL CONDUIT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22. 19M.

1 ,1 86,532. Patented June 13, 1916. j Fla-.1 Q

' 0 I r. Z Y J pg1 INVENTOR UNITED STATES PA ENT onn on.

onAUncnY w. ABBOTT, on AUBURN, EW YORK, nssronon'ro THE AMERICAN common: MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A.

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL oonnnrr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 22, 1914. Serial KO; 846,569.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHAUNCEY W. ABBOTT, a resident of Auburn, in the county ofCayuga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Conduits, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of electrical conduits known as metal moldings and which are usually made from a base section adapted to be secured to a supporting surface, such as a wall or ceiling, and a removable cover section.

In an application of even date herewith, Serial No. 846,567, I have described and illustrated a conduit of the character specified, which is of simple construction, easy and cheap to manufacture, easy to apply, in which the members are connected so as to afford electrical continuity, and one which can be litted to the wall or ceiling with no trimming or other shaping further than cutting themember's to the desired length The invention of the present application has for its object to provide a simple and efficientjoint for such a conduit at angles and corners, and particularly a joint -connecting a conduit, say, a wall with a conduit running along the ceiling in one or more directions from the upper end of the vertical conduit.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevational view of a .T joint of the character specified; Figs. 2 and 3are cross sectional views of the same on the line 22 and-3 3, respectively, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4: is an elevation of the cap or covering member for said joint;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the same; Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the same; Fig. 7 is an elevation of the same joint applied to an angle or what is known as an elbow joint; and Fig. 8 is anelevation of the cover or cap member for the same.

The conduit proper comprises a suitable base member 1 and a cap or cover member'2. The base member is shown as a flat strip of suitable base metal with parallel edges, and

provided with suitable means for s acing the same from the supporting sur ace 3.

The .spacing means may be of various forms as illustrated in my application above identified, and is here shown in the form of bosses running vertically up 4 formed by depressing the metal, and in I which are openings or holes for receiving. the screws or nails 5 for fastening the base to the supporting surface. The edges of the base member project laterally and are substantially square. This flat strip is secured to the supporting surface by means of the screws or nails, and it can be readily carried around angles or in. corners by merely ing the same, the flat strip lending readily to such bending.

The cover member or cap 2 is of general U, channel or bow shape in cross section, and is formed from a strip of resilient metal, preferably edges as at 6, bent inwardly and preferably formed with grooves .7 adjacent to said edges, and which grooves snap over the, edges of the base member, and securely hold the cover in place, all as describedin my application above identified It is frequently desirable to run one of these conduits up a supporting wall or partition, and then carry the same at ,right angles along the ceiling in either one or both itself directions. 1 When carried'in both directions-- joint the upper end of the vertical base strip 1 is merely bent at right. angles with the horizontal portlon 8 resting directly on and in electrical contact with the base member 1 l Patented June 13, 1916.

bendby drawing, with its extreme U of the horizontal branches. These base stripslie flat face against flat face, and if desired may be further united by means of a small rivet, or by punching parts outof the contact strips so as to partially interlock the same, but this is not necessary. This forms a very simple mechanical connection between the vertically and horizontally extending base members. This joint is covered by the cap'member shown in Figs. 4 to 6,

this having a rather large dome-shaped body 10 to allow space for splicing the con-" ductors at the joint, which body isropen onits rear side as at 11, and has its edges at its end portions bentinwardly, as at 12, form'- ing the grooves 13 which snap over the edges of the horizontal base member 1, or the edges of the adjacent horizontal cover members 2. Extending downwardly from the body at its' rear side isoa projection 14 which in horizontal section is substantially the same in contour as the cover member 2, having its edges bent inwardly to form the grooved portions 15 which snap over the edges of the vertical base member 1, or the edges of the adjacent vertical cover member 2. These cap members are formed by Stamping or pressing from a sheet of metal and for standard base and cover members are of uniform size. The cover members for the T joint can be readily fitted in place by merely snapping the edges thereof over the edges of the adjacent parts. This joint can be made by merely turning the end of the vertical base strip at an angle of 90 degrees, cutting it oif, nailing or screwing both the vertical and horizontal base strips in place, and after the Wires are strung, snap ing the cover members 2 over the bases and finally, snapping the cover members 10 over the joint, thus making a neat, sightly'joint, and with minimum labpr.

n the'case of an angle or elbow joint, the

construction shown in Fig. 7 is employed,

this being identical with that shown in Fig.

1, except that the horizontal base member 1 extends in only one direction. The cover or cap member therefor is shown in Fig. 8' and has an angle body -16 with the horizontal leg 17 open on the top and the vertical leg 18 open on the'back and havingthe edges at the ends of said legs bent inwardly as at 12 to engage over the edges of the adjacent parts,

The construction described and illustrated provides a simple joint construction for conduits of the kind described and which can be made with a minimum amount of labor and which require practically no cutting or fitting whatsoever of the parts. Special covers for the difierent joints must, of course, be provided, but as Such joints are rather limited in number, only. a limited number of special covers need be carried in stock. The

main cover members and base membersare all standard uniform stock" and require nocutting or trimming other than to cut tolengthsand the bending of the base member.

What I claim is 1. A oint for electrical conduits, compris- 111g a base strap and a cover member, said base stri projecting beyond the cover memher and sing bent to project across the end thereof, a similar conduit member its base fitted onto the bent end of the first named base and extending at an angle to having I the side, edges thereof, and a hollow cover fitting over said angle joint.

2. A joint for electrical conduits, comprising a base stri and a cover member, said base strip pro ecting beyond the cover member and being bent to project across the end thereof, a second base strip connected to said bent end of the first base strip andeX- tending at a right angle to the side edges of the side edges of said bent end, and a 1101- low cover fitting over said joint.

4. A joint for electrical conduits, comprising a base strip'and a cover member, said base strip projectingbeyond the cover member and being bent to project across the endthereof, a similar conduit member fitted on to the bent end of the base and extending at an-angle to the side edges of said bent end, and a cover of channel or bow section having its edges bent inwardly and engaging over the edges of the adjacent cover members. Y

5,. A j oint'for electrical conduits, comprising a substantially flat base strip, a cover member of channel or bow shape in cross section'and having its edges bent inwardly and engaging the edges of the base strip, said base stripv projecting beyond the cover and bent out of its general plane to project edges engagingthe edges of said second base strip, and a cover of channel or bow form in cross section andhaving portions at right "angles to, each other, each of said portions being provided at its edges with inturned 1 portions engaging over the edges of the adacent cover members.

In testimony, whereof I have-hereunto set my hand. K I

. CHAUNCEY W. ABBOTT. Witnesses:

WIIZLIAM B..WHARToN, GLENN H. LnRnsoHn.

'100 n ber of channel'or bow form with inturned 

